There are many reasons to eat out. Sometimes we simply want to satisfy our hunger. At other times, we are looking for an enjoyable evening, a memorable experience, or an opportunity to discover something new. The places we choose for these different purposes are not necessarily the same. We created WAYANA to occupy a distinctive place in the second category.
When defining our principles of service, we chose to focus on some of the qualities we had been looking for ourselves but had rarely found. This is why we placed wine at the heart of our concept, supported by food designed to complement it. Türkiye is a country of grapes, yet it has not fully established itself as a wine country. We saw this paradox as an opportunity: to build a business we would genuinely enjoy running while introducing Anatolia's remarkable grape heritage as a cultural treasure. We embraced that opportunity wholeheartedly.
Over the past four years, our original vision has continued to evolve. We have met new producers, discovered unfamiliar grape varieties, and pursued new lines of research inspired by our guests' questions. Today, we see WAYANA not simply as a place to eat and drink, but as an experience center where Anatolia's grape and culinary cultures can be explored. We continue to work tirelessly to bring greater visibility to Türkiye's wine culture, which remains relatively little known internationally, through our own distinctive approach.
So, allow us to be your guide. What can you discover at WAYANA?
Discover: A Journey Through Anatolia's Grape Heritage
Anatolia's grape diversity is one of the least recognized treasures of its cultural heritage. Some varieties have been cultivated for centuries yet remain virtually unknown beyond their native regions. Others survive mainly as names in historical records. Still others are waiting to be rediscovered, studied, and preserved.
From the beginning, one of WAYANA's guiding principles has been to represent this diversity as broadly as possible. That is why we work exclusively with producers from Türkiye and give particular priority to indigenous grape varieties.
Today, our collection brings together more than 500 different wines from 156 producers, including wines made from 85 indigenous grape varieties. But for us, the significance of these numbers lies not in their size, but in the diversity they represent.
Every grape has a geography. Every region has a history. Every producer has a different approach. Discovering how the same grape variety expresses itself in different regions, or exploring the characteristics of a little-known variety, offers another way of understanding Anatolia.
Learn: Following Our Curiosity
Have you ever wondered why a particular grape grows in a certain region, where its name comes from, or how it might be related to other varieties? We have. And the more questions we have pursued, the more new questions we have discovered.
Learning has gradually become an essential part of the WAYANA experience. Meetings with producers, themed tastings, explorations of indigenous grape varieties, and introductory courses such as WAYANA 101 are all expressions of this approach.
Our aim is not to put our guests through an examination of their wine knowledge. Quite the opposite. We want to create an environment where everyone feels comfortable asking questions, making comparisons, and developing their own observations, without needing any prior expertise.
This learning process continues for us as well. New research into grapevine genetics, archaeological discoveries, historical documents, and the viticultural traditions of Anatolia's different regions constantly enrich the stories we share at WAYANA.
That is one of the most rewarding aspects of learning: finding the answer to one question often opens the door to an entirely new story.
Taste: Discovering the Flavours of Anatolia
To understand a region's culture, reading about its history is not enough. You also need to sit at its table. Anatolian cuisine is the product of an extraordinary accumulation of knowledge and traditions, shaped over centuries by different communities, agricultural practices, trade routes, and local ingredients.
Thousands of years of life across Anatolia's vast geography have given rise to distinctive flavours in every region. We draw inspiration from this rich culinary heritage to create the dishes we bring together under the name Anatolian Flavours. Behind every dish is a story.
But we do not believe that cuisine should be confined to tradition. The kitchen is one of the most fertile environments for innovation, almost a laboratory in its own right. The culinary knowledge passed down through generations invites us not only to preserve it, but also to contribute our own interpretations. Consider Beaujolais, for example. Originally associated with a French celebration of young wine, it has found an unexpected new expression in our kitchen, lending its name to a börek and creating an entirely new culinary combination.
Ultimately, we are all the judges of culinary innovation. We taste, evaluate, and share our opinions. Some new creations become part of our lives; others quietly disappear almost as soon as they arrive. What matters most is giving new ideas the opportunity to emerge. At WAYANA, we see this openness to experimentation as an essential part of our identity.
Share: Where Stories Come Together
The identity of a place is shaped not only by its interior design, menu, or events, but also by the relationships formed within it. Over the past four years, we have experienced this in countless ways at WAYANA. Sometimes a guest has reminded us of a grape that once grew in their family's vineyard. Sometimes a producer has shared a nearly forgotten tradition from their region. And sometimes a conversation has inspired a subject that we later researched and turned into an article.
One particular experience left a lasting impression on us. An American guest visiting Istanbul with his family tasted Kalecik Karası during one of our tasting experiences. The wine transported him back to his childhood and memories of the preserves his grandmother used to make. This phenomenon, in which tastes and aromas evoke vivid memories of the past, is often referred to as the Proust effect. We later discovered just how deeply the experience had affected our guest when we read an article he had written for The New York Times. The writer was Boris Fishman, and his account offered a remarkable example of how a taste can connect people to their personal histories. You can read more about Boris Fishman's experience in a separate article.
Many of the stories featured today on our website, in the WAYANA Newsletter, and across our other publications began with encounters like these. For us, sharing means more than sitting around the same table. It means sharing knowledge, experiences, memories, and curiosity.
That is why we believe everyone who walks through WAYANA's doors can become more than a visitor. Sometimes, they become part of the stories we tell.
More Than a Place to Eat and Drink
Looking back at WAYANA's development, we realize that our original vision has not really changed. What has changed are the tools we use to bring that vision to life and the experiences we have accumulated along the way.
Today, we research Anatolia's indigenous grape varieties while also exploring the kitchens of ancient cities, historical wine routes, and disappearing agricultural traditions. We share what we discover through articles, videos, educational programs, and gatherings.
All these activities have something in common: we do not want merely to describe Anatolia's cultural richness. We want to make it something people can experience and share.
This is the philosophy shaping WAYANA's next chapter.
Discover. Learn. Taste. Share.
For us, these four words are what make WAYANA more than a wine bar.
